Using Amazon Echo to provide additional home security

[manstorm]

Hi, I've created a free skill for which I think may be of interest to help protect your home, it's called Burglar Deterrent.

It turns your Echo into a device to protect your home from unwanted visitors when you are out.  It will give the illusion that your house is occupied using realistic audio to deter potential intruders.  The intention is a would-be thief will be convinced someone is performing daily activities such as talking, laughing, cleaning, working, and preparing food.  You can choose from 5 different environments depending on which suits the location of your Echo.  It's designed to compliment your existing security arrangements, giving you an extra level of reassurance.

It's free to use, just say "Alexa, open Burglar Deterrent" to try it out.  The deterrent will run continuously until you say "Alexa, Stop" when you return home.  Or use a timer to stop after a certain length of time - once already running say "Alexa, set a sleep timer for (however long)". 

Let me know if you find it useful and if so please leave a review in the Alexa app Skills section which helps support it and keep it free.

[jwlv]

Manstorm, this is a cool skill. Thank you for making it. After using it a few times I noticed that if I start Burglar Deterrent with office sounds and I come back several hours later, I hear the living room sounds and not the office sounds that I started with.

In another room on a different Echo, I do have living room sounds playing at the same time. Could having two Burglar Deterrent skills activate at the same time cause them both to eventually play the same sound effects?

[Laurel]

I am happy to have found this thread.  I enabled the skill and we are using it.  Great idea!  The only thing I don't like with the skills is trying to remember the correct phrasing to activate the skill so I have to have cheat sheets which is a pain in the neck.  Very clever skill!